Football players clean up camp

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT)

Published
8:00 pm EDT, Wednesday, April 13, 2005

About 40 members of the Western Connecticut State University football team spent Tuesday afternoon at the Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut's Greenknoll Day Camp.
"It's a tradition. Every April we're out here," said John Burrell, head coach for the football team.
Sandi Lubin, senior vice president of the day camp, said the tradition began about 11 years ago when then WestConn coach John Cervino called and said he wanted the team to help them out.
"They've never let us down. They come in for three or four hours and get us ready for camp," Lubin said. She because the players work for free, the Y saves money that can be used to pay for scholarships to the camp.
For some of the players, this marks their first year helping out.
"We're giving back, you reap what you sow," freshman Peter Hickey said as he cleared debris from a shed at the camp, which includes three pools, a playground, a lodge and a building divided into rooms for day camp activities. "I love doing anything positive."
Freshman Rob Ewald said he, too, enjoys the work. "I feel like I've done something for the community," Ewald said.
This year's clean-up marks the third time that junior Lou Falco has helped out at the campground.
"We feel we have an obligation to the children of Danbury," said Falco, who was heading up the crew opening up the pools, which were covered by tarpaulins during the winter months.
Falco worked on pools his first year. "It was a lot tougher because there was no strategy," he said. Both Falco and maintenance director Larry Holm were new to the pools, so they worked out a plan over the years to make the work easier.
"We've got it down pretty pat," Falco said.
Senior Jonathan Schuley had mixed feelings about this being his last year helping with the clean-up. "I will be leaving my teammates and this outdoor activity," Schuley said. "But I have to go on with my life."
After carrying grills out of the lodge and bringing picnic tables into the lodge's pavilion, senior Larry Badaracco was taking a break with his crew, eating sunflower seeds.
Badaracco said he will miss helping out the camp. As the years went on, he said, he found his jobs getting easier.
"When you're a freshman, you have to spread the sand and when you're a senior, you get to sit and wait to talk to The News-Times," he said, laughing.

A YMCA summer camp open house for parents and children is scheduled for May 14 and 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. People can tour the facility and register for camp sessions, which run from June 16 to Aug. 31. For information, call the YMCA's Greenknoll Branch at (203) 775-4444.